Concord teacher acquitted on molestation charges

Updated 8:49 am, Friday, August 15, 2014

(08-14) 23:05 PDT MARTINEZ -- A Contra Costa County jury on Thursday acquitted a Concord elementary school teacher on molestation charges involving three former students and deadlocked on allegations lodged by 11 others.

Joseph Martin, 46, of Martinez, who taught fourth and fifth grade at Woodside Elementary School, had been charged with more than 100 counts of molestation involving students between 11 and 17 years old, authorities said.

Judge Mary Ann O'Malley declared a mistrial on 95 counts after the jurors said they were hopelessly deadlocked.

Martin, a teacher in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District since 1991, was arrested last year.

Prosecutors will decide later whether to retry Martin on the remaining counts.

Outside court, Martin's attorney Patrick Clancy told reporters that his client's actions with students had been misconstrued.

"He would pat them here," Clancy said, patting his chest, "and that's what got exaggerated, and that would be done only to kids that had like ADHD or disturbance problems, and he would do it to calm them down."

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